Episode 21: Christine Granville - Churchill's Favourite Spy

12/23/18 • 77 min

Said to be Winston Churchill's favourite spy, Christine was an adrenaline junkie and a countess by birth whose jaw dropping bravery during the Second World War saved many many lives. Over the course of her wartime career, a knack for repeatedly escaping the deadliest of situations had given her almost mythical status. Christine died early at the age of 44, but those years were stuffed to bursting with adventure, the likes of which would be hard to swallow if you were watching a fictitious film with a plot borrowed from Christine's life.

Opening music by Stefan Kartenburg, featuring Dimitri Artmenko on strings, and it's from dig.ccMixter. All other music used in the show is from copyright free music sites. Sound effects from BBC Archive Resource.

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Episode 20: Constance Markiewicz - The Rebel Countess

When American-born English socialite Nancy Astor entered the House of Commons on 1 December 1919, she became the first female MP in British history to take a seat in parliament. But although Nancy was the first woman to take her seat, she wasn't the first to be elected. That was achieved the year before by one Constance Markievicz. Born into County Sligo aristocracy, married into Polish royalty and immortalised by W.B. Yeats in poetry, Constance would at one point be condemned to death for "waging war against the King" . While detained in Holloway Prison for her part in the Easter Uprising of 1916, she ran her campaign for Parliament, and won. However, as a member of Sinn Fein, she disqualified herself by refusing to swear allegiance to the British crown. She would dedicate the rest of her life fighting for Irish independence.

Opening music by Stefan Kartenburg, featuring Dimitri Artmenko on strings, and it's from dig.ccMixter. All other music used in the show is from copyright free music sites.

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Bess of Hardwick - The Other Elizabeth

Rising from humble origins during a brutal and turbulent period of British history, Bess became the second most powerful woman in England after the Queen. She used her skills to navigate the risky world of the Tudor court and outlived monarchs and husbands along the way, as well as bearing 8 children and building an empire. Few royal courtiers would climb as high as Bess did, and she made some enemies in her lifetime, and probably due to this, many early biographers (male) have portrayed Bess as a hard, scheming and proud woman who worked her way through four husbands and managed to get her hands on all their fortunes when they died. But OF COURSE there's more to Bess than this.

Opening music by Stefan Kartenburg, featuring Dimitri Artmenko on strings, and it's from dig.ccMixter. All other music used in the show is from copyright free music sites.